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Green Mountain Audio Chroma HX Review

I just had my Green Mountain Audio Chromas upgraded to Chroma HX. The difference is the crossover, with the capacitors being exceptionally high-grade. The low-pass filter is specially made to Roy Johnson's specifications. Unobtainium (not for sale) Litz wire is used with the latest unobtainium solder. The change is dramatic enough to consider the HX a different speaker, even though the schematic is essentially the same.

And the result is absolutely stunning. I was expecting a substantial improvement, but I was unprepared for the result. It's going to be difficult to put this into words, but I'm going to try. Let's face, we've heard it all before.

I have never heard a speaker that so effortlessly plays music. Every note has more music in it. I guess you could call that greater detail, but the HX transcends that description. Perhaps I should call it harmonic richness. The sound is unbelievably accurate, yet musical, throughout the frequency spectrum. The copious bass digs down deeper while being more well-defined. I would call it high-definition bass, to coin a term. The midrange is similarly tuneful, clear and also hi-def. It just flows naturally and cleanly. I would describe the treble as ethereal, sparkly and airy, never bright.

The HX is also the most coherent speaker I have ever heard. The woofer and the tweeter coexist happily. It is impossible to tell where the crossover frequencies are. You cannot hear the port either, just the bass. I find myself listening for hours, without fatigue, because the music captures my attention and holds it.

The sheer accuracy seems to lend itself to the soundstage, imaging with pinpoint precision. You know where every voice and instrument is at all times. This is an area of audio that I didn't much care about previously, but I cannot ignore now.

Any criticisms? Well one, maybe. If you like to crank the bass hard enough to drive your neighbors to yell death threats, you're going to need a powered sub.

I have heard many speakers in my time, among them Wilson Audio, Joseph Audio, Paradigm, Triangle, Meadowlark, Dali, Thiel, Usher and Vandersteen. None of them can deliver what the HX can. It's not even close. If you have a pair of the already excellent Chromas, HXing them is a must. I have found the speakers that I am going keep for life in the Chroma HX.

Related equipment:
Musical Fidelity A308cr with upgraded clocks
Audio Note Kits DAC 2.1
Pass Labs B1 buffered passive pre modified for shunt volume control
Pass Labs Aleph 3 power amp
BPT BP-1 balanced power conditioner
Audio Magic Matrix Mini power conditioner
Pass Labs Aleph 3 power amp


dave122
kenjit
1,771 posts
 
https://youtu.be/XpQqqW4SLAI


Somebody has posted a recording of the green mountain rios.

You can hear just how colored the sound is even through a YouTube video.

Listen to any other YouTube video of a high end bookshelf speaker and hear the difference. 

There's no warmth,  no bass and mids are colored. Horrible 
csmgolf
885 posts
 
Why all of the carrying on about Green Mountain Audio and why has it been going on for so long? You don't come across as a savior, you come across as pathetic. I have yet to see any YouTube video that told me anything about how any system sounds, including that one. If one disappointment in speaker purchase bothers you this much for this long, maybe you should find another hobby. 
kenjit
1,771 posts
 
Hi end audio to me is about elevating the standards of audio reproduction not diminishing it. There are quite a few speakers out there that not only don't fulfill this definition but does a disservice by misleading us into thinking we are hearing high quality sound.

The green mountains are colored. Its not easy to prove but it's a fact.

It's important to separate speakers that are colored to suit people's taste from those that are engineered to elevate the art.

Using a cheap woofer in a 5k speaker is just not right.

Mismatching the woofer and the cabinet volume is a basic mistake that no serious speaker designer would make.
The result is poor bass response. Even the reviews mention this. It's undeniable.

csmgolf
885 posts
 
There are quite a few speakers out there that not only don't fulfill this definition but does a disservice by misleading us into thinking we are hearing high quality sound.
So why do you insist on harping on only one of them, and for years at that? You have said your piece on them over and over. Isn't it time to move on? 

The green mountains are colored. Its not easy to prove but it's a fact.
EVERY speaker ever built is colored, bar none. Find the color you like and get on with life. 

kenjit
1,771 posts
 
 @csmgolf 
I don't have much direct experience with any other bad speaker. The green mountains were the worst AND the most expensive I've had. Yes every speaker is colored but not to the same extent. There are different degrees of coloration, do you agree?

If you are so eager to respond to this topic, why don't you contribute by responding to the criticisms I've made?
What do you have to say about the cheap car woofer used in their speakers? The cheap tweeter and the cheap crossover?
Why aren't they using expensive accutons or scanspeak? Other manufacturers do, so why don't green mountain?

It doesn't matter whether there are other speakers as bad as green mountain. Green mountain is a case in point of a speaker that is engineered badly and should be avoided

This discussion could be educational to those that are unaware of the issues I've raised. 

If you think they're so good why don't you buy them?


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